The Blurred Man
Encyclopedia
"The Blurred Man" is the fifth story in the Diamond Brothers series of comedy mysteries, written as a short story by Anthony Horowitz
and published as a book on 6 January 2003 by Walker Books
. It was included in the omnibus Three of Diamonds
in 2004.
allusion to the classic mystery film The Third Man
, in which the hero arrived in Vienna only to discover that his friend Harry Lime had been recently killed by a lorry while crossing the street, just as in this story Joe Carter arrives in London shortly after Lenny Smile has been run over by a steamroller
.
Tim and Nick interview Lenny's two assistants at the charity offices and his neighbour, and visit his grave. At the cemetery, Nick spots someone who looks like the Lenny Smile in the photograph, and wonders if he could still be alive. They visit the Steamroller driver who is in a mental hospital, but due to Tim's words, like 'The clues are a bit thin on the ground,' the man loses more of his sanity.
The brothers discover that a balloon seller advertising the Russian circus may have witnessed the accident, but when they go to the circus to speak to him, Nick again sees someone who looks like Lenny Smile, and they find the balloon seller has just been stabbed to death. Tim foolishly picks up the knife and the circus performers assume he is the murderer, partly due to Tim trying to correct a clown's grammar. A bizarre chase across the fields ensues, before a Police Car driven by Snape saves the Brothers.
After hearing that the charity is under investigation for fraud, Nick puts together the clues and confronts the bad guys, Lenny's assistants, in a thrilling finale at the London Eye
, deducing that 'Lenny Smile' is simply an assumed name that could be used by Lenny's 'assistants' as a scapegoat for their own crimes. They then reveal the compartment was bugged, and the Police are in compartmnts on either side.
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
and published as a book on 6 January 2003 by Walker Books
Walker Books
Walker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...
. It was included in the omnibus Three of Diamonds
Three of Diamonds (collection)
It follows as the sixth book in the Diamond brothers series about a fourteen year old boy called Nick and his brother Tim who works as a private detective....
in 2004.
Title
The title refers to the blurred photograph that is the only known image of Lenny Smile. It is also an assonantAssonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the is repeated within the sentence and is...
allusion to the classic mystery film The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
, in which the hero arrived in Vienna only to discover that his friend Harry Lime had been recently killed by a lorry while crossing the street, just as in this story Joe Carter arrives in London shortly after Lenny Smile has been run over by a steamroller
Steamroller
A steamroller is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine...
.
Plot summary
The story opens with the Diamond Brothers being hired by the American crime author Joe Carter, who finances Lenny Smile's children's charity Dream Time. Lenny Smile apparently died in a tragic accident when he was run over by a steamroller just before Carter was due to meet him for the first time. The American wants them to find out what really happened to the reclusive philanthropist he so much admired. He shows them his only photograph of Lenny, in which the man's features are blurred.Tim and Nick interview Lenny's two assistants at the charity offices and his neighbour, and visit his grave. At the cemetery, Nick spots someone who looks like the Lenny Smile in the photograph, and wonders if he could still be alive. They visit the Steamroller driver who is in a mental hospital, but due to Tim's words, like 'The clues are a bit thin on the ground,' the man loses more of his sanity.
The brothers discover that a balloon seller advertising the Russian circus may have witnessed the accident, but when they go to the circus to speak to him, Nick again sees someone who looks like Lenny Smile, and they find the balloon seller has just been stabbed to death. Tim foolishly picks up the knife and the circus performers assume he is the murderer, partly due to Tim trying to correct a clown's grammar. A bizarre chase across the fields ensues, before a Police Car driven by Snape saves the Brothers.
After hearing that the charity is under investigation for fraud, Nick puts together the clues and confronts the bad guys, Lenny's assistants, in a thrilling finale at the London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
, deducing that 'Lenny Smile' is simply an assumed name that could be used by Lenny's 'assistants' as a scapegoat for their own crimes. They then reveal the compartment was bugged, and the Police are in compartmnts on either side.
External links
- The Blurred Man at Walker BooksWalker BooksWalker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...